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Hi everyone.
I'm new to these forums and quite new to treklit.
I have spent the last few months reading up on the post nemesis novels and I'm about to enter the Typhon Pact era.

As I understand it from the various reading orders and flowcharts that circle around the internet (btw, thanks so much for making those. You know who you are!) this is where DS9 reconnects with the major post nemesis storylines.

And now I think you can guess my question.
I know there's this whole DS9 relaunch and I think I have heard a lot of positive things about it (not to mention that I love the DS9 TV-show). But I'm also eager to get forward in the storyline and catch up with all of you guys and gals living in 2385. =)
I've also heard that the DS9-R ends quite abruptly and that the connection between the relaunch novels and the post nemesis story is quite loose.

So please tell me what to do.
Give me an idea about the DS9-R without spoiling me too much if I decide to read it.

Good to be here btw, looking forward to chatting with you about treklit =)

ps. And what about Vanguard, is that necessary reading aswell? It seems cool but I've never been much of a TOS fan (please don't hate me for saying that). ds

It seems the original DS9 relaunch's storyline may be about to continue, and may intertwine with the newer DS9 book's storyline. So that may play a role in your decision making. The same could be said of Vanguard, as you are about to find out if you are starting Typhon Pact.

And I hope my site as one of those which helped you get into TrekLit. If so, thanks for the thanks.

Honestly, you don't need to read anything, really. You'll be satisfied and interested if you just keep forging ahead.

I would still say you should read both the DS9 relaunch and Vanguard, though, because they are *goddamn awesome*. And they're a little better if you don't know what happens after you read them, so if you're going to read them, it should be now.

If you love DS9 the TV show, you should definitely read the relaunch. You could just jump into Typhon Pact, but there are a lot of changes that happen to the characters over the course of the relaunch that could leave you a bit confused if you skip it.

Vanguard is amazing. TOS fan or not, it is some of the best treklit of all treklit. The time period makes it perfect. You should check it out after you catch up with the 2385 folks.

I'm currently 6 books into the DS9R, but i'm up to date on everything else DS9 from Zero Sum Game onwards. I used memory beta and this board to fill in some of the info, and it hasn't taken away from my enjoyment of the DS9R. But that's me

Honestly, you don't need to read anything, really. You'll be satisfied and interested if you just keep forging ahead.

I would still say you should read both the DS9 relaunch and Vanguard, though, because they are *goddamn awesome*. And they're a little better if you don't know what happens after you read them, so if you're going to read them, it should be now.

Seconded.

Sure, there's a bit of bump in the middle of the DS9R due to things going off the rails at the company at the time, but it recovers well from that.

And yes, Vanguard is awesome - I'm not much of a TOS fan and I loved it.

Okey, so lot's of stuff to reply to here but I'll try to take in one at a time.

First the props.

1. Ryan, I have indeed been visiting your website quite a few times. Nice work indeed!

2. Enterpriserules. One of the reasons I want to catch up with you 2385ers is to be able to tune in a your podcast now and then =)

3. Thrawn, your flowchart has been so helpful aswell!

And now the questions. =)

4. So if I want to take a break from the post Destiny universe and read the DS9-R before going forward. Should I do it right away or is there any of the new books I still can read withour spoiling anything. I'm mostly thinking about the Voyager relaunch (I'm at Children of the Storm now) and TTN: Torrent Sea and Synthesis.

5. And how about Vanguard. Do I gain anything by reading it before I go into the Typhon Pact books? The Tholians ambassador has mentioned the crimes of the Taurus reach and I have no idea of what those are or if it's a big thing in the storyline.

6. Apart from Vanguard, DS9-R and A time to... , are there any other pre-Nemesis necessary reads? According to yourselves of course =)

Either way at some point I recommend reading DS9-R because it is really great.
Same for Vanguard, it's a great read, and I don't think that you aren't a big fan of TOS matters, as it's very different in style and tone.

Location: On an Andorian Atlire-class escort cruisers, the Mat-Rus. From "The Poisoned Chalice

Re: So, DS9-R, now or later or never?

BraidsMamma wrote:

Okey, so lot's of stuff to reply to here but I'll try to take in one at a time.

First the props.

1. Ryan, I have indeed been visiting your website quite a few times. Nice work indeed!

2. Enterpriserules. One of the reasons I want to catch up with you 2385ers is to be able to tune in a your podcast now and then =)

3. Thrawn, your flowchart has been so helpful aswell!

And now the questions. =)

4. So if I want to take a break from the post Destiny universe and read the DS9-R before going forward. Should I do it right away or is there any of the new books I still can read withour spoiling anything. I'm mostly thinking about the Voyager relaunch (I'm at Children of the Storm now) and TTN: Torrent Sea and Synthesis.

5. And how about Vanguard. Do I gain anything by reading it before I go into the Typhon Pact books? The Tholians ambassador has mentioned the crimes of the Taurus reach and I have no idea of what those are or if it's a big thing in the storyline.

6. Apart from Vanguard, DS9-R and A time to... , are there any other pre-Nemesis necessary reads? According to yourselves of course =)

Well feel free to drop in any time we are talking about something you have read

4. So if I want to take a break from the post Destiny universe and read the DS9-R before going forward. Should I do it right away or is there any of the new books I still can read withour spoiling anything. I'm mostly thinking about the Voyager relaunch (I'm at Children of the Storm now) and TTN: Torrent Sea and Synthesis.

The next Voyager book (The Eternal Tide) does reference a major spoiler from the Typhon Pact series. The next Titan book is Typhon Pact: Seize the Fire.

5. And how about Vanguard. Do I gain anything by reading it before I go into the Typhon Pact books? The Tholians ambassador has mentioned the crimes of the Taurus reach and I have no idea of what those are or if it's a big thing in the storyline.

Vanguard is all about the crimes of the Taurus Reach, and I would recommend reading it, but I think you'll be okay if you don't.

6. Apart from Vanguard, DS9-R and A time to... , are there any other pre-Nemesis necessary reads? According to yourselves of course =)

If you like Garak, I would recommend A Stitch in Time - it's written by the actor, and is an excellent exploration of Garak and his backstory. And if you haven't already, I would read Articles of the Federation.

Okey, so lot's of stuff to reply to here but I'll try to take in one at a time.

First the props.

1. Ryan, I have indeed been visiting your website quite a few times. Nice work indeed!

2. Enterpriserules. One of the reasons I want to catch up with you 2385ers is to be able to tune in a your podcast now and then =)

3. Thrawn, your flowchart has been so helpful aswell!

And now the questions. =)

4. So if I want to take a break from the post Destiny universe and read the DS9-R before going forward. Should I do it right away or is there any of the new books I still can read withour spoiling anything. I'm mostly thinking about the Voyager relaunch (I'm at Children of the Storm now) and TTN: Torrent Sea and Synthesis.

5. And how about Vanguard. Do I gain anything by reading it before I go into the Typhon Pact books? The Tholians ambassador has mentioned the crimes of the Taurus reach and I have no idea of what those are or if it's a big thing in the storyline.

6. Apart from Vanguard, DS9-R and A time to... , are there any other pre-Nemesis necessary reads? According to yourselves of course =)

Thanks for the props!

4. A side-comment in Eternal Tide spoils a thing in Typhon Pact: Paths of Disharmony (even though the latter takes place further in the future; there is Q involved and time is malleable). It's a pretty big twist. That said, I had that thing spoiled for me another way, and I still enjoyed Typhon Pact so my honest recommendation is to just keep reading Voyager. The current Voyager novels are the best thing in TrekLit, for my money, and they don't mess up anything else.

Anything else published before the Typhon Pact novels - A Singular Destiny, Losing The Peace, and both Titan novels you mentioned - are fine.

5. This is kind of an interesting question. The Vanguard finale hadn't yet been written when Paths of Disharmony came out. In some ways, the "crimes of the Taurus Reach" was a hint at what was coming in the rest of Vanguard. Paths gives some other info about what happens after the end of Vanguard that might sort of feel like a spoiler, except it was published first! I think it would be greatly beneficial to be familiar with Vanguard, but I don't think you have to finish it. I would read Vanguard 1-3, I think, before Paths. The rest you can finish later.

6. I don't think A Time To... is necessary, at least not all of it. The big arc pre-Destiny involved the buildup to and fallout from the stuff in Nemesis. That's covered in the final 3 A Time To... books, Death In Winter, the first two Titan novels, and Articles of the Federation. If you haven't read all those, but you've enjoyed Titan and Nan Bacco's appearance in Destiny, I think you're fine here. I think the DS9 Relaunch and Vanguard are both better anyway, and with so many books to read, I'd go for the better stories. (A Stitch In Time and The Lives Of Dax are also both awesome prologues to the DS9 Relaunch; amazing books. You can totally skip The Left Hand of Destiny, though.)

Honestly, the DS9 Relaunch establishes so many things. It might seem frustrating to wait and read like 16 more books before getting around to Typhon Pact, but it's almost funny how much of modern TrekLit is still just chasing down stuff that the DS9 Relaunch got started. I would say fully half of the Typhon Pact / The Fall stories are woven from threads left hanging from the DS9 novels. There is so much quality material there, it's a huge shame to skip it.

i've read most of the post-nemesis stuff between Death in Winter to Destiny. I've really entertained the idea of going back to Avatar, and reading everything in order via that great trek reading guide.

Can anyone think of books that could be skipped in the DS9 relaunch? The Left Hand of Destiny books come to mind, and maybe the Gateways story.

No, Demons of Air and Darkness and "Horn and Ivory" are very integral to the overall "Relaunch" narrative. They're more closely connected to the ongoing DS9 storyline than they are to the Gateways business. In fact, I found the Gateways stuff just a distraction from the parts that really mattered.

I'd agree that LHoD is expendable, since whatever it set up was never really followed up on, and The Never-Ending Sacrifice is a sidebar. But everything else is integral.

__________________Christopher L. Bennett Homepage -- Site update 11/16/14 including annotations for "The Caress of a Butterfly's Wing" and overview for DTI: The Collectors